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NASHVILLE, TENN.—You couldn’t blame Cody Franson and Nazem Kadri if they were to get a little distracted.

With both facing free agency — Franson will be unrestricted on July 1, Kadri restricted — talks between their agents and the team at new deals are in their infancy.

And with the team losing, and facing salary cap pressure, both could find themselves as trade fodder. Certainly their names are going to come up a lot between now and the March 2 trade deadline.

They both insist they won’t allow themselves to be distracted.

“I’m going to worry about playing, doing what I can on the ice,” said Kadri. “That other stuff is between management and my agent. I don’t really involve myself with too much of that.

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“I don’t know numbers or years. I told my agent to deal with management.”

Franson, who is earning $3.3 million this season, has reportedly already turned down an offer of $4.6 million a year on a multi-year deal, according to Hockey Night in Canada.

“For me, it’s not a distraction,” said Franson. “I try and distance myself from everything but playing. I let my agent handle all that.

“I try not to get caught up in it and stay focused on what we are doing in the room here.”

There is more urgency with Franson, who, at 27, is coming into his playing prime. He went into Tuesday night’s game against Nashville leading the Leafs defencemen in goals (six), assists (23), and points (29) that put him tied for 18th among the league’s defenceman.

He is sixth in total hits with 140 and leads the Leafs with 96 blocked shots. He wears the alternate captain’s A.

“He defends better,” said Leafs coach Peter Horachek. “He has that shot, the ability on the offensive side to get pucks through. His maturity, he’s embracing the leadership role, trying to become a stronger player in that area.”

As an unrestricted free agent, he could walk away, with the Leafs getting nothing in return. He’d be one of most sought-after free agents of the summer. But he bleeds Blue and White, growing up a Leaf fan.

“I would love to stay,” said Franson. “This is where I’d like to be. I’m hopeful if that’s the case.”

But fitting Franson in under the cap will be hard for GM Dave Nonis. Trading Franson to a playoff contender could reap the team a couple of high-end prospects. Trading another player with a big salary could be the way to keep Franson.

“Obviously, management has some decisions they’ll have to make,” said Franson. “It’s a numbers game. Unfortunately that’s the business side of the game. Decisions have to be made. I don’t envy those guys up there, it’s not an easy job.

“When my phone rings, I hope it’s ringing for the right reason.”

There is less urgency with Kadri because the Leafs will retain his rights after July 1 if things go that far. If another team makes an offer — which rarely ever happens — the Leafs would have the right to match.

Kadri’s offence isn’t what might have been expected. He has 13 goals, 14 assists for 27 points in 49 games. Some see him as a potential point-a-game player.

But his overall game is better rounded. He’s been given more responsibility 5-on-5 playing against the top lines of other teams. And his possession numbers, according to the website waronice.com, are the best on a the team.

The Leafs may well be at a crossroads with him. He’s earning $3.1 million and will probably looking for a deal that gets him to unrestricted free agency in three years time, when he will be 27. If they decide he is hitting his ceiling as a No. 2 centre, they might want to turn the page on him.

Peter Holland is emerging a possible No. 2, and at a cap hit of $775,000 this year and next, he’s a far cheaper option.

Of course, if the Leafs decide Kadri has more to offer, then Tyler Bozak’s future as a Leaf would be in doubt.

Moving Kadri, however, would not just free some salary cap some space, but more importantly, Kadri could net a big return in terms of high end prospects.

But Kadri wants to stay.

“If they want me here, I want to stay here. That’s the bottom line,” said Kadri.

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